Teacher Saves Several Students During Oklahoma Tornado by Lying on Top of Them

To be a teacher is already to be a hero, but during Monday's monstrous tornado in the suburbs of Oklahoma City, Rhonda Crosswhite put her life directly on the line after first seeing that several of her students had taken refuge only moments before the twister devastated their school.

"I was in a [bathroom] stall with some kids and it just started coming down, so I laid on top of them," the sixth-grade teacher at Plaza Towers Elementary in Moore, Okla., told Savannah Guthrie on Tuesday's Today show. "One of my little boys just kept saying, 'I love you, I love you, please don't die with me.' But we're okay. We made it out."

All of the children who were with her are now safe, there was one minor injury – a cut to the head, said Crosswhite – and she herself emerged with only some scrapes on her feet, which she called "irrelevant, considering what could have happened."

"I never thought I was going to die," she said. "The whole time I just kept screaming to them, 'Quit worrying, we're fine, we're fine.' And I'm very loud, so I just hoped they could hear me, because I could hear them screaming. One girl, she's in my homeroom, was sobbing, and I was like, 'We're going to be fine, we're going to be fine, I'm protecting you.' And then I said a few prayers. 'God please take care of my kids.' And we're fine."

Recalling the tornado and its 200-m.p.h. winds, Crosswhite said, "I don't remember what it sounded like, honestly. It was like a freight train, but I don't remember much about it,'' she said about the sound of the tornado. "It felt like someone was beating me up from behind. The stuff was just coming down on my back. I thought I was fine, [but] I have cuts everywhere that I didn't even realize I had."

After the interview, Damian Britton, one of Crosswhite's charges during the ordeal, had something to give her. A great big hug.

"I told you we were going to be okay," she told him, as he murmured "Thank you" and the two dissolved into tears.

GlobalGiving is raising funds for emergency supplies for victims, as well as longer-term relief and rebuilding efforts. Donate online or text GIVE OK to 80088 to donate $10 to GlobalGiving's Oklahoma Tornado Relief Fund. Message and data rates may apply. Terms: mgive.org/t

Amid the death and destruction facing families left displaced by the tornado that struck several suburbs of Oklahoma on Monday, a handful of residents have been fortunate to return to the sites of their homes and come face-to-face with their furry friends.

Earlier in the week, Barbara Garcia was reunited with her missing dog during an on-camera interview, in which a member of the CBS News crew spotted her pup struggling to escape the debris.

Garcia's story is just one of many touching reunions, such as that of June Simson (above). Upon returning to the remains of her home, she discovered her cat, Sammi, covered in dirt but alive, standing atop the rubble.

Members of the 1 Day Ranch pet rescue in Shawnee, Okla., did their part to aid further furry reunions by tending to the animals being rescued from the wreckage, like this pint-sized kitten in the hands of Maeghan Hadley.

Over in Oklahoma City, a young boy kept a firm grip on his beloved pooch.

How you can help:
Displaced Oklahoma residents in search of their missing pets can also visit the Moore Oklahoma Tornado Lost and Found Animals Facebook page, where contributors have been posting photos of recovered animals.

GlobalGiving is raising funds for emergency supplies for victims, as well as longer-term relief and rebuilding efforts. Donate online or text GIVE OK to 80088 to donate $10 to GlobalGiving's Oklahoma Tornado Relief Fund. Message and data rates may apply. Terms: mgive.org/t

05-24-2013, 10:07 AM

kuhio98

DELAND -- Don Sugg has no time for pity parties.

His motto is simple: think positive. It's kept him alive for nearly a century.

Ask him for his secret for his longevity, and you'll get a simple answer.

“If you want to get old fast, sit down on the back side of your lap and do nothing,” Sugg said.

Sugg does little sitting.

In just the past couple of years he's jumped from airplanes -- as in plural.

He's also tried his hand at hang-gliding. And he's not about to stop now.

Sugg plans to take to the skies at Skydive DeLand on Saturday, May 25. The 98-year-old man, who's losing his hearing and eyesight, will prove once again he is not losing his ability to help local charities raise cash.

This latest jump is to raise money for the Neighborhood Center of West Volusia for feeding and housing homeless families.

Susan Clark is the executive director of the center. She said Sugg was just dropping some kitchen items off when he saw a need.

"Don Sugg is a fundraising machine. He was prepared, again, fully prepared," Clark said. "He had an agenda, he had the plan and he had the heart to begin this fundraising event.”

While Clark appreciates the publicity Sugg's jump brings to her organization, Sugg said he gets even more.

“It picks this old man up," Sugg said. "To think that I've done something so simple that anybody could do, but they don't do it. I feel as if I'm merely paying back a small portion as to what was given to me throughout my life by other people in this country."

Sugg's jump is planned between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

There will be plenty of ways for you to help donate to the Neighborhood Center of West Florida at Skydive DeLand, located at the DeLand Municipal Airport.

I heard on the news that Oklahoma City Animal Care and Control is accepting pets who were separated from their people during the tornado. They will stay there for 30 days and hopefully be reunited with their people. PAWS Chicago is sending a team down to Oklahoma City Animal Care and Control. They are going to bring home some of the dogs and cats who were already there, to make more room for pets affected by the tornado. That way, Oklahoma City has more space, and these dogs and cats will have an opportunity to be adopted by people in the Chicago area :) PAWS Chicago is no-kill. They will be admitted to PAWS Chicago when they get back, and should be ready to meet potential adopters early next week.

We live in the country and many people just roll down the windows of their vehicles and throw out their trash. My son and I noticed that approximately 200 feet of our elderly neighbors yard was quite littered. So, we gathered our trash bags and cleaned up his yard without being asked.

More motivation to get out there and do something good: A recent study found that people who volunteer actually live longer than people who don’t.

05-29-2013, 10:17 AM

kuhio98

Metro students save pennies to buy new playground

NASHVILLE, TN - A Nashville school that couldn't afford a new playground finally got a new one Thursday after saving thousands of pennies.
For at least the last five years, the playground at Lakeview Elementary Design Center was in such poor shape, it made even the principal depressed.
Nine-hundred kids had nothing to do.

"It just was really sad, watching the kids play just chasing each other around," said Dr. Robin Shumate, principal at Lakeview.
The old playground had been on campus since the school opened in 1967. Its equipment was so outdated, most of it had to be removed because it wasn't up to code.
And to make matters worse, the school couldn't get funding to build a new one.

"We tried grants. We tried all different things, but just didn't get any feedback from things like that. So we had to do it ourselves," Shumate said.
The school decided to nickel and dime their way to an upgrade, literally.

"We had penny drives, we had nickels and dimes, we had days for dollars and days for quarters," Shumate said.
It took passion, planning, a lot of patience and teamwork - the principal even took a pie to the face for donations - but three years since they started saving, students finally ran onto their two new playgrounds Thursday.

"Just turning the corner to come to school, it really just tugs at my heart strings," Shumate said.
The school raised nearly $42,000, including about $12,000 in additional donations. They said that money will go toward buying a new swingset.

05-31-2013, 12:11 PM

kuhio98

Do Good Gifts

Cooking Set for Kids

Give your budding chefs all the tools they need to cook up a storm with this fun kitchen kit.

Proceeds from each set benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and contain artwork from patients at the hospital and recipes from St. Jude's head chef.

Tracy Quisenberry started Icing Smiles to provide custom-designed cakes to kids who are critically ill. She connects professional and non-pro bakers with families across the country in hopes that the treats will give children a moment of joy and excitement during a difficult time.

06-02-2013, 02:47 PM

kuhio98

Donated Birthday to Abandoned Animals

My daughter, Bella decided that she would rather have animals fed than receive gifts for herself on her birthday. So she asked for dog food, chewies, or cash to purchase dog items for her 10th birthday. She dedicated this to Gateway Pet Guardians, who feed the homeless animals on the streets every morning.